Tag Archives: Who service solar geysers?

Retrofit electric geyser to solar

Retrofit electric geyser to solar

Retrofit electrical Kwikot geyser with solar

Retrofit electrical Kwikot geyser with solar

We were contacted by a family in Durbanville to provide them with a quote for:  Retrofit electric geyser to solar.

It helps to timeously empower our client with the correct information:

During the onsite evaluation we noticed that certain standards needed to be implemented and that the geyser was also faulty.  When discussing with the owner, he confirmed that the hot water from their geyser was brown although the water running from the cold tap was clear.  We checked with the geyser supplier, Kwikot, who confirmed that the geyser was still under warrantee.  As standards change over time the galvanized drip tray needed to be replaced by a plastic drip tray and a stopcock needed to be installed.

We provided our client with the abovementioned information and Kwikot therefore came prepared to replace the geyser, install the stopcock & the correct drip tray & outlet.  This was done in a very short timeframe.  Please note that the initial installation was not done by Kwikot or ourselves.  Kwikot did the abovementioned work as part of honouring their geyser warrantee as the supplier.

Our client then accepted our quotation to retrofit their new Kwikot electrical geyser with solar.

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Servicing a solar geyser system in Kuils River

Service a solar geyser system…yes or no?

This article is about a *natural flow solar geyser system with a flat panel (as in the picture) which we serviced recently.  The question is to: Service a solar geyser system…yes or no?

*natural flow = thermosiphon (it is where the geyser is located higher than the solar water panel and no pump is required to circulate the water between the geyser and the panel).

After a few years of working hard to harness the sun’s energy to heat your geyser water, various factors may play a role in the continued efficiency of your solar geyser system:

The environment and man may have an impact on the need for a service over time.

  • The sun/birds/squirrels may be working away at the *lagging around the water pipes on the roof;  * lagging is insulation material which limits heat loss.
  • We sometimes find that squirrels and/or rats enter the roof space and damage the Geyserwise controller wires and or lagging within the roof;
  • Dust and other material may collect on the surface of the panel(s) and impact on the absorbtion of the sun’s heat energy;
  • Another factor may be that repairs to the municipal water network may result in debris moving into your solar water panels and impact its efficiency;
  • Just after the installation, the new owners are usually very excited to experment with the different options on the timer and over time they forget and then the settings don’t really suit their needs anymore due to changed circumstances in their household;
  • Maintenance work at the house may result in someone stepping on parts of the solar geyser pipework or other parts and damage occurs;
  • Smaller parts (element, timer, pressure control valve, etc.) may be or become faulty, although we stick to trusted parts from reliable suppliers.

We find that the service requirements differ from area to area due to the weather and environmental differences.  We therefore propose a basic service for our existing clients in order to keep the expenses as low as possible.  If we find that e.g. the lagging need to be replaced, we then first discuss it with the client and get his/her approval to replace it.  The basic service has a fixed cost (if we have to travel quite a distance, we will then discuss additional fuel cost with the client beforehand).

This is a solar geyser system we installed almost 5 years ago.

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